Zoom light apparatus

Claim 2

Optical apparatus for selectively changing the angular spread of a projected light beam, said apparatus comprising: a pair of optical refracting elements; and means for positioning said elements in the projected light beam so that at least part of the light from the light beam can pass successively through said elements and for mounting said elements for relative movement with respect to one another along an axis parallel to the general direction of projection of the beam, said elements being optically structured to change the initial angular spread of the beam of light by a predetermined amount when said elements are separated by a predetermined distance along said axis and to continuously further change the initial angular spread of the beam of light as the distance separating said elements is made smaller than said predetermined separation distance.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said optical elements each comprise a thin, plate-like, lenticular screen which is mounted so that the major dimensions thereof always lie in planes that are perpendicular to said axis.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein each of said lenticular screens include a first surface having a first plurality of parallel lenticules and a second oppositely facing surface having a plurality of parallel lenticules arranged at right angles to said first lenticules.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said optical elements each comprise a thin, plate-like screen each of which is mounted so that the major dimensions thereof always lie in a plane that is perpendicular to said axis, each of said screens having a first surface which faces the projected light beam and a second oppositely facing surface, a first surface of one of said screens and a second surface of another of said screens including a plurality of first identical parallel lenticules structured to control the angular spread of the light beam in a horizontal plane and the remaining surfaces of said screens including another plurality of identical parallel lenticules, arranged at right angles to said first lengitucles and structured to control the angular spread of the light beam in a vertical plane.

Claim 6

Optical apparatus for selectively diverging a collimated or nearly-collimated projected light beam having a circular cross-section, said apparatus comprising: a pair of optical refracting elements; and means for positioning said elements in the projected light beam so that light from the beam can pass successively through said elements and for mounting said elements for relative movement with respect to one another along an axis parallel to the general direction of projection of the beam, said elements being optically structured to convert the circular cross-section of the beam of light into a beam of light having a generally rectangular cross-section with preselected angles of divergence, measured in mutually orthogonal horizontal and vertical planes, when said elements are separated by a predetermined distance along said axis and to continuously increase the divergence of said preselected angles of said rectangularly-shaped beam as the distance separating said elements is made smaller than said predetermined separation distance.

Claim 7

Optical apparatus for selectively diverging a collimated or nearly-collimated projected light beam having a circular cross-section, said apparatus comprising: a pair of optical refracting elements; and means for positioning said elements in the projected light beam so that light from the beam can pass successively through said elements and for mounting said elements for relative movement with respect to one another along an axis parallel to the general direction of projection of the beam, said elements being optically structured to convert the circular cross-section of the beam of light into a beam of light having a generally rectangular cross-section with preselected angles of divergence, measured in mutually orthogonal horizontal and vertical planes, when said elements are separated by a predetermined distance along said axis and to continuously increase the divergence of said preselected angles of said rectangularly-shaped beam as the distance separating said elements is made smaller than said predetermined separation distance.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said optical elements each comprise a thin, plate-like, crossed lenticular screen which is mounted so that the major dimensions thereof always lie in planes that are perpendicular to said axis.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 6 wherein each of said lenticular screens in said perpendicular planes are circular in shape.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said optical elements each comprise a thin, plate-like screen each of which is mounted so that the major dimensions thereof always lie in a plane that is perpendicular to said axis, each of said screens having a first surface which faces the projected light beam and a second oppositely facing surface, a first surface of one of said screens and a second surface of another of said screens including a plurality of first identical parallel lenticules structured to control the divergence of the light beam in said horizontal plane and the remaining surfaces of said screens including another plurality of identical parallel lenticules, arranged at right angles to said first lenticules and structured to control the divergence of the light beam in said vertical plane.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 8 wherein all of said lenticules comprise cylindrical lenses.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said surfaces of said optical screens are further structured to diffuse light by a predetermined amount.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the ratio of the spatial frequency of said first lenticules to said second lenticules is 2 to 3.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 8 wherein each of said first lenticules is 3 mm wide and wherein each of said second lenticules is 2 mm wide, all of said lenticules having substantially the same focal length.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said focal length is approximately 6.4 mm.

Claim 18

The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said movably mounted optical element is the first in the path of the projected light beam.

Claim 19

A zooming artificial lighting apparatus comprising: an open-ended paraboloidal reflector; an artificial light source mounted in said reflector, said reflector and said source being structured to cooperate to provide a collimated or nearly-collimated light beam which emerges from said reflector open end and has a circular cross-section; a pair of optical refracting elements; means for positioning said elements in said emerging light beam so that light from said beam can pass successively through said elements and for mounting said elements for relative movement with respect to one another along an axis parallel to the general direction of projection of said beam; and means for facilitating the displacement of said optical elements relative to one another, said elements being optically structured to convert the circular cross-section of said beam of light into a beam of light having a generally rectangular cross-section with preselected angles of divergence, measured in mutually orthogonal horizontal and vertical planes, when said elements are separated by a predetermined distance along said axis and to continuously increase the divergence of said preselected angles of said rectangularly-shaped light beam as the distance separating said elements is made smaller than said predetermined separation distance.

Claim 20

A zooming artificial lighting apparatus comprising: an open-ended paraboloidal reflector; an artificial light source mounted in said reflector, said reflector and said source being structured to cooperate to provide a collimated or nearly-collimated light beam which emerges from said reflector open end and has a circular cross-section; a pair of optical refracting elements; means for positioning said elements in said emerging light beam so that light from said beam can pass successively through said elements and for mounting said elements for relative movement with respect to one another along an axis parallel to the general direction of projection of said beam; and means for facilitating the displacement of said optical elements relative to one another, said elements being optically structured to convert the circular cross-section of said beam of light into a beam of light having a generally rectangular cross-section with preselected angles of divergence, measured in mutually orthogonal horizontal and vertical planes, when said elements are separated by a predetermined distance along said axis and to continuously increase the divergence of said preselected angles of said rectangularly-shaped light beam as the distance separating said elements is made smaller than said predetermined separation distance.

Claim 21

The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said optical elements each comprise a thin, plate-like, crossed lenticular screen which is mounted so that the major dimensions thereof always lie in planes that are perpendicular to said axis.

Claim 22

The apparatus of claim 18 wherein each of said lenticular screens in said perpendicular planes are circular in shape.

Claim 23

The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said optical elements each comprise a thin, plate-like screen each of which is mounted so that the major dimensions thereof always lie in a plane that is perpendicular to said axis, each of said screens having a first surface which faces the projected light beam and a second oppositely facing surface, a first surface of one of said screens and a second surface of another of said screens including a plurality of first identical parallel lenticules structured to control the divergence of the light beam in said horizontal plane and the remaining surfaces of said screens including another plurality of identical parallel lenticules, arranged at right angles to said first lenticules and structured to control the divergence of the light beam in said vertical plane.

Claim 24

The apparatus of claim 20 wherein all of said lenticules comprise cylindrical lenses.

Claim 26

The apparatus of claim 22 wherein said surfaces of said optical screens are further structured to diffuse light by a predetermined amount.

Claim 27

The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the ratio of the spatial frequency of said first lenticules to said second lenticules is 2 to 3.

Claim 28

The apparatus of claim 20 wherein each of said first lenticules is 3 mm wide and wherein each of said second lenticules is 2 mm wide, all of said lenticules having substantially the same focal length.

Claim 29

The apparatus of claim 25 wherein said focal length is approximately 6.4 mm.

Claim 31

The apparatus of claim 27 wherein said movably mounted optical element is the first in the path of the projected light beam.